A recent decision by many countries abroad will mean that some vehicle rental companies will require proof of previous motoring penalties from those intending to hire a car from them.

The DVLA recommends motorists to obtain a code which is available from the DVLA website.

The new changes will be in place from 8 June 2015 and the DVLA will phase out the paper counterpart of the standard drivers license. All motoring convictions from there on will be available electronically by requesting a code from the DVLA. This code can then be provided to a car hire company if requested and from this they will be able to view only past convictions of the hirer to be.It's important to point out that the code will be valid for 3 days (72 hours) only and if the hirer intends to keep the vehicle for a longer duration, he will need to obtain another code. The code is available both online for those with internet access, and alternatively it can be easily accessed by phone which one should get from the DVLA before their trip.

The need for a code is not a legal requirement and will very much depend on the vehicle hire company as to whether they will require it in order to hire out their vehicles.

The DVLA state that after 8 June the paper counterpart of the UK driver’s license will no longer be valid and can be destroyed. The photo card license however is still required. More information regarding the paper counterpart can be found here.

It is not clear as of yet if Bulgarian car hire firms will opt to follow this new requirement, but early indications state that some of the larger companies are already putting this in place to commence from 8 June.